November 3rd, 2012 by Steven

Networking is one of the keys to getting to where you want to be.

Here are a few networking tips to help you make the most of your next event:

1. Set a goal before the event to give you a focus. For example, “I will make solid connections with seven new people tonight.”
   
2. Set a reward for beating the goal. “If I make a connection with eight new people tonight, I earn …..”
   
3. Consider wearing a fun accessory. If you wear a vibrant necklace or a unique tie, you’ll find that others compliment you, and it’s an easy way to begin a conversation. Just watch the fine line between clever and stupid for that accessory.
   

Business, business advice, lead generation, Marketing, networking, prospecting, Referrals, Strategy, target

May 10th, 2012 by Steven

Provided by BCSG, LLC              

You might also call it “the law of small requests.”

The essence of the law is this: If you make a small request of someone to do something and then follow-up later with a bigger request about something similar, you will get a much better response than if you made the big request first.

The difference is often dramatic. This law is the foundation of an approach to marketing. Like many people, you may have discovered that making big requests end up in a lot of rejection. Over time, you may have discovered how small or incremental requests made the process a whole lot easier.

May 4th, 2012 by Steven

Provided by BCSG, LLC    

One of the most persuasive things you can do in marketing your services is to give away something for free.

When a prospect receives something free from you, they feel obligated to reciprocate in some manner. This law of reciprocity should be at the heart of all your marketing.

Giving things away can be controversial, however.

If we give away something for free, doesn’t that undermine its value? Not necessarily, if we do it right and see this as the first step in a chain of actions that can turn that prospect into a client.

Business, business advice, Business Secrets, Coach, entrepreneurship, Marketing, prospecting, target, value proposition

April 5th, 2012 by Steven

Thumbs Up !

Here are some instant ways for you to bring in more customers and grow your business.

The following are 30 questions that will immediately pinpoint where your business is doing well – and where you can take action that will produce rapid results.

These are the questions that may help your business, if you are willing to spend a few minutes giving them serious thought – the results can be quite profound.

Business, business advice, Business Secrets, Coach, content, entrepreneurship, ideal client, information technology, lead generation, Marketing, prospecting, Systems, value proposition

March 16th, 2012 by Steven

Are you helping your referral sources?

Referrals are a great way to build a business, unless they’re not. Here is what I mean. We all love the referral that’s a perfect match. They have the right kind of need or problem, they know how we work and what we offer that’s valuable, and maybe they even expect to pay a premium to get what they’ve learned we have.

 But then we’ve all received that awkward referral – one that’s not such a fit at all, one that wants to know why they can’t get a deal.

action, advice, Business, business advice, Coach, lead generation, Marketing, prospecting, Referrals, response, target

March 12th, 2012 by Steven

Does your content stand out?

Tip #1: Don’t Stuff Keywords All Over the Place
Just don’t do this. It looks awful and your readers won’t appreciate it. It is fine, if you want to put your keywords here and there (whenever it makes sense) but don’t overdo it. Your goal is to get buyers, not just visitors. You will repel your visitors if all they see on your website is keywords.

action, brand, Business, business advice, Business Secrets, Coach, content, copywriting, entrepreneurship, killer, lead generation, Marketing, open, prospecting, resonse, Strategy, value proposition, website

February 17th, 2012 by Steven

Do you wish you had a magic wand when it comes to marketing your business? You think a magic wand would have amazing power, but you need to know how to use it to get results. You need to point it in a certain way, you must have a clear intention and you often need to use certain words in order to get the desired result.

I know this might sound silly to you, but let’s think of planning as a magic wand. You create an intention, wave the wand, take action and produce a result. And if you have the right wand, you can consistently and repeatedly produce the results you want.

business advice, entrepreneurship, lead generation, Marketing, prospecting, Public Speaking, Referrals, Strategy, Systems, value proposition

February 10th, 2012 by Steven

Imagine you are walking along in a park one bright sunny day. You happen to look down and see an envelope, which you decide to pick up. It is very fine quality envelope with a logo and postage on the front of it. You think it is very impressive.

To your amazement, the envelope has nothing written on the front, no recipient’s name or address. And you can tell, on closer inspection, that the envelope is empty.

Business, business advice, Business Secrets, Coach, entrepreneurship, Marketing, prospecting, Strategy, value proposition

January 27th, 2012 by Steven

The words you use in your marketing will make or break the success you see. Copywriting is really “salesmanship in print” and here are some basic techniques to make your marketing and sales materials do what they are supposed to which is to sell more products and services.

1. Have your offer in the headline or near the top of your advertisement. Possibly have a box that highlights areas of importance with the offer near the top or on the right hand side after your initial 3 paragraphs. This will weed out tire kickers immediately as they realize it is not free, they have to pay for it. Do that and many people are ready to read it all but are interested (possibly) in what your offer is.

Business, business advice, Business Secrets, Coach, lead generation, Marketing, prospecting, Strategy, value proposition

January 20th, 2012 by Steven

It’s been called “selling the invisible”—delivering intangible services as a core “product” offering.

Law firms, management consultants, IT services and telecom providers, architectural groups, healthcare and educational organizations, financial and insurance institutions, and a multitude of business-to-consumer operations profit from performing and delivering people-based services.

But invisibility, or intangibility, is just one factor that distinguishes services marketing from product marketing. Along with inseparability, variability, and perishability, these four characteristics affect the way clients behave during the buying process and the way organizations must interact with them.

business advice, Business Secrets, entrepreneurship, Marketing, prospecting, Strategy, value proposition